Quintessence
by Zhong TianHui
Summary: "The essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form." A journey of the soul through death, the afterlife and everything in between. (Rated M for slight gore.)


Quintessence

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

World: AU where this world's literature has reached the Narutoverse but is seen as fiction (like how we view their world).

Notes: This is set post-Shinobi Third War where Sasori is around 21.(He's already left Suna and is creating his puppet body. However, he is not yet recruited by Akatsuki.)

x.X.x.

Sasori stood in the middle of a dark room, sweaty and panting. He finally finished the jutsu. It wasn't easy and it took years of research but he's finally done what Chiyo never had the heart to do.

He slowly turned his eyes to the ground before him where a family of three lay dead. The three of them, father, mother and child, lay flat on the ground, forming a triangle and their hands pressed on a seal written in blood. He brought his foot near the father's dead body and kicked, just to make sure he was alive. Sacrifices had to be made and he was not sure if one soul would be enough to...

_Lub-dup...Lub-dup..._

A sinister smile tugged at the corners of Sasori's lips. He walked towards the sound of the beating heart, his prosthetic leg creaking as he shifted his weight on it. The staccato of his leg matching the rhythm of the heart- his heart, his new heart- that lay in the middle of the triangle seal.

When Sasori reached the center of the triangle, he knelt down and took in the sight of this artificial heart. Its core was red and fleshy, blood still oozing from the vessels that still clung to the muscle mass. He shifted onto his right knee, the prosthetic one. Sacrifices had to be made and Sasori lost his leg to give this heart a piece of flesh. _Many failed hearts and many bits of flesh_. For this to work properly, he needed a signature to lock in with- the same way Edo Tensei always required a piece of the corpse.

Surrounding the flesh is a clear mass that was neither totally solid nor totally liquid. The gel like substance was constantly moving around the flesh. The beating motion was coming from the gel, forcing its weight on the flesh and causing light blue waves of chakra to seep out. In this dark, damp room, the heart looked almost luminescent.

Sasori took a cylindrical canister from a nearby table, his name written in the front and vein-like protrusions sticking out from its sides. He scooped the flesh and gel into the canister and it immediately expanded to fill the container. The muffled beating could still be heard from inside.

Upstairs, a body waited for him; a body of wood and metal and various weapons waited for its new heart and soul. "Not yet," Sasori whispered to himself as he climbed up the dark stairway. He was not a patient man but there were certain things that needed to be perfect- absolutely perfect- and he would take his time to ensure such things.

Sasori knew what very few people knew and what Chiyo needed to know for her One's Own Life Reincarnation Technique to work properly. Sasori knew that every person had two souls. The first soul is the life force or the essence of a person, a person's breath, and the very thing that surrounded his flesh within the canister he held in his hands. It can be given by anyone and it can also be stolen, but once it's lost, it's gone forever.

No one can revive the family that lay dead on his floor without an equivalent sacrifice.

The second soul is unique for each person and as far as Sasori knows, it does not go away with death. This, he's sure other people also know. How else would the reanimated corpses of Edo Tensei regain their memories, personality and knowledge of executing their techniques? Of course, he knows this more intimately than other people. He's found other applications on stealing techniques through the second soul.

Sasori reached the top of the stairs where Sandaime Kazekage stands guard, hanging from the ceiling. He touches the wooden puppet's hands and he knows that underneath the varnish, wood and metal lies an organic core he's preserved through constant use. Chakra preserves chakra pathways pumped out from flesh.

For the human puppets to work properly, they needed a signature to lock in with. They needed something to help their souls and the knowledge of techniques trapped within their memories find their new bodies. It was the same reason why Edo Tensei always required a piece of the corpse. This was why Sasori always left some organic matter within the puppet and why he preferred them alive while he executed his jutsu.

He turned towards the single bed in the room. A body, his new body, lay there with its eyes closed and its hands resting on its side. Sasori inspected his work until he was satisfied with the curve of the puppets features, the weapons inside it and the near-microscopic passageways to aid chakra transfer. Slowly, he placed the canister into the hole at the center of the puppet's chest.

Sasori did not need to wait long until the puppet opened its eyes and tried to sit up. With a firm hand, he pushed the puppet back on the bed. A sinister smile tugged at his lips. _Success_.

But when he looked into the puppet's glass eyes he knew better than to rejoice just yet. "You're still incomplete." The puppet finally lay still under Sasori's firm hand.

The second soul is a travelling soul. It can move in and out of the body without causing much harm. Unless, it stays away for too long where it can cause sickness and eventually death. Sasori knows these things and he knows what can happen if things go wrong.

But this if for art. This is for perfection. This if for becoming eternal. Sacrifices must be made.

x.X.x

Author's Note: The concept of the soul discussed in here is prevalent in certain Asian cultures against the duality of body and soul which is more prevalent in other countries. I hope it's not too hard to understand.

I would very much appreciate review, criticisms and ways to improve especially in characterization since this is my first fanfiction. Thank you for reading. ^_^


End file.
